We all love recollecting a favourite tune and using that jukebox of the brain to select the perfect music to play for certain occasions. Oftentimes we can recollect a song to play in our head as a coping mechanism during stressful situations or simply heighten our senses.
About to make an important speech? Try getting in the mood with a brain play of Eminem’s Lose Yourself. Riding your bike while playing Ride Of The Valkyries in your mind is a fun experience that can result in a knowing private smile. Music can elevate certain situations.
Earworms on the other hand are very different.
What are they?
The history books tell us Germans coined the term öhrwurm (earworm) over 100 years ago and it’s an apt name for the annoying experience of having a song or melody stuck in your head. Scientists use terms such as repetitive musical imagery or unintended tune syndrome, but earworm really captures the feeling.
While we generally think of earworms coming from popular music, they can sometimes appear from unlikely sources, such as films, games or other forms of entertainment. Those that play at an online casino for real money at Paddy Power will be familiar with the music of slots becoming stuck in the mind, particularly the jackpot melody. This tune, while fortunate and very welcome, can become lodged in the brain for many hours. The fact that this tune is recognisable is indicative of the fact it’s so popular, so it’s more of a compliment than anything else.
TV and radio ads are a common source of earworms and like them or loath them, the advertising industry are experts at making jingles stick in your head. Your age will certainly play a part here, but consider if any of the these ring a bell:
- Five dollar! Five dollar! Five-dollar footlong!
- Ba-da-ba-ba-baaa … I’m lovin’ it
These are pretty retro, so perhaps they are reminiscent of a bygone era. The Atlantic wrote, that the advertising jingle is dead in the water, but people have been announcing the death knell of jingles for many years. Possibly, it’s forgivable in the advertising industry, after all these are purposeful earworms developed to make you remember a product. Unintentional earworms seem worse somehow.
Thank you for the music
You might be suffering from an earworm right now from those examples in advertising, but popular music is generally considered the home of earworms. As with advertising, it is a credit to the writers of these tunes for producing such a catchy track. It’s possible to subliminally learn a song through passively listening to the radio, and the following songs are certainly some of the most famous:
- Queen – We Will Rock You
- Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (ironically!)
- Pharrell Williams – Happy
- Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
- YMCA – Village People
- Europe – The Final Countdown
Apologies if we missed one that caused you sleepless nights or if any of these are currently afflicting you, but some songs are simply catchier than others. These examples are generally simple melodies with a rising pitch, that falls in a way that makes it easy to sing and they contain distinctive intervals that just stick in your head.
Whatever the cause of earworms, the good news is that the cure is typically simple. It is commonly acknowledged that earworms persist because you only remember a small part of a song, therefore listening to the complete song may vanquish it from your mind. Another cure is to find new music you’ll actually like, according to Lifehacker, rather than just playing that earworm on repeat.
It’s up for debate as to whether or not new jingles will stick in our minds, but it’s clear that classic will forever be in our minds, for better or worse.
